A Fine Line Being ReWritten
by colourful-sand-dollar
Summary: Is there a line you must cross to go from non-chalent rivals to friends? If so, why does it seem that they have surpassed this line way too quickly, and have pushed themselves into a state no one believed they could under certain circumstances? RW/SM
1. Chapter 1

**A/N:** Hello all! This is my first fanfic on here, so give me a tiny break OK? I have been writing one-shots for years. Pretty much every one Harry Potter related (see profile for more info). But this is the first time I've decided to post one of my own. And it's going to be a biggy for me, considering I'm used to a sheet of looseleaf or two and that's it. But I'm expecting about 15 chapters at least *fingers crossed*

Anyways, this story includes one of my fave pairings Rose/Scorpius. Now, it does not brood as a romance at first. Sure Rose finds him hot, but she finds no feelings attached. Seriously. Not even ones she mistakes and shoves aside. They grow sometime between her sixth and seventh year.

Now to explain students and their ages. OK, Teddy graduated in 2016 as we all know, I'm assuming he was 17 by then. Making him now 23 years old, and Victoire, who is two years younger than him, at 21. You'll hear bits and pieces about them throughout the story. James(17), Molly(17), Lorcan(17) and Lysander(17) are in Seventh year. Rose (16), Albus(16), Scorpius(16), and Dominique(16) are all in sixth year. Louis(15) and Fred (15) are in fifth year. Lily(14), Hugo(14) and Roxanne(14) are in fourth year. And Lucy(13) is in third year.

There, I believe that's everyone accounted for. If you don't know who's who, look it up. You'll hear more about birthdays and such throughout. Just thought I'd mention when the rest would catch up in age. There will be some OC's placed throughout. Keep and eye out for them. Perhaps even some love interests!

Also, I see no point in placing a Disclaimer on every page, so here's your one and only Disclaimer:

**Disclaimer: **Sadly, anything Hogwarts related or Canon characters all belong to the lovely JKR. There are some things I own, but they are not as awesome, and have no need to be placed here.

If you have any questions, please PM or review!

Also, I would like approximately 5 reviews if possible before I continue on, so I can know whether it's worth it or not. All criticism and compliments welcome!

Anyways, here we go!

Oh and one last point, the first part of this story is in third person POV, however the large majority of the rest of the story will be in Rose's. kthnxbai

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A Fine Line

Chapter One

A loud shrill was heard across the Great Hall, as screams emanated from the Gryffindor table. It was hard to tell what obscenities the spiteful auburn-haired girl shouted as she flailed about, but you could easily catch "MALFOY!", "SPIDERS!", and "ROYAL GIT!" amongst the threats.

Hugo, sitting besides his older sister groaned at the usual antics of his crazy sibling. To his right, Lily giggled softly, and Albus across the table simply grinned foolishly. James was no where to be seen, as apparently his 'cool factor' decreased the more he hung around his family in school.

It was Monday morning, first day of classes after the summer holidays, and Scorpius Malfoy was already up to his usual tricks. Knowing Rose loved most to sit near the end of Gryffindor table, and she sported an immense fear of spiders, just like her father, used this knowledge to his advantage, and had snuck in rather early, charmed several bits of food to look like spiders, hiding them amongst the good food.

Luckily, Rose, as predicted, sat right where Malfoy had planted the bait, and sure enough, when lifting her fork, she found out her scrambled eggs had…legs! Screaming, she began thrashing about, and several onlookers became covered in eggs because of her antics, glaring at her as they sauntered past.

Sixteen years old and poor Rose was acting like a lunatic. James, a year her senior finally strolled into the Great Hall, clearly not amused by his cousin's actions, yet there was a ghost of a smile on his lips, and laughter was visible in his eyes.

Finally Lily had the nerve to calm her cousin down, "Rose…ROSE! They're not real…Malfoy's just being an ass, sit down!" Rose finally seemed to have heard the fourteen-year-old beside her, because she looked at her fork, only to find Lily was telling the truth.

Picking up her wand, she let a grin slide across her face. And not just any grin, a malicious evil smirk that meant business, and right now, it was meant for only one person. Usually she reserved these grins for evil plans and revenge. Right now, it was the latter.

Crossing the Great Hall, she swiftly strode up beside the only Malfoy child, as he watched all the while. Jabbing her wand into his side, she hissed low, but loud enough for almost everyone to hear. "You ever make a fool of me like that again…and you will regret the day you were born male…" Flicking her wand slightly, she watched, impressed, as boils began sprouting across his skin.

Snickers rose down the Slytherin table as Scorpius sat there howling in pain. The Professors, clearly used to their actions, only shook their heads for what seemed like the first of many that year that were to come. Anything more serious, and action would have to be taken. But for now, there was no point. They'd both served enough detentions to do them a lifetime.

Rose returned to her misfit group, as Lily burst into another fit of giggles, and Albus just shrugged, used to how Rose treated the boy, while Hugo looked mortified as to what his older sister had just done to the boy. Surely Hugo would hear about this later, considering majority of his classes were filled with Slytherins. Looked like another day of taunting for him.

That's how it usually went with this group. James avoided them as much as possible, usually hanging out with their Auntie Luna Scamander's twins Lorcan and Lysander, and Professor Longbottom's son, Frank, and his daughter Alice, named after their grandparents, who had been tortured by the Lestrange's years ago. Everyone knew James had a soft spot for Alice, and vice versa…well everyone besides them, apparently. But that's another story.

While James avoided them, Hugo and Lily usually shadowed behind Albus and Rose, who were only two years older than them. However, sometimes you could find Lily with her best friend Laurel Finnegan, and Hugo with his best friend Alexander Wood. Albus, when not with Rose, was usually found snogging random girls behind the Quidditch Pitch, or reading in the library. That was the good thing about Albus that everyone…well the girls…loved. He was extremely smart, played Quidditch, and had the looks to back everything up, almost like his father.

Rose however, was a whole different story. She'd much rather hang around in the newly restored Room of Requirement, thanks to Professor Longbottom, all by herself than be found around the castle. Her odd manor, and strange dress never managed to capture a true friend for her, and she was constantly switching between friend groups.

You see, Rose didn't dress like the other girls in her year, hiking their skirts up, and wearing shirts a size too small. She'd much rather wear the rainbow colored knee-high toe socks, and bright colored shirts that her Auntie Luna gave her. This earned her odd glances and annoyed glares from the other girl's in her year. Sometimes they just wished Rose was normal. However, the Scamander twins thought it hilarious. Lorcan usually taking pictures to send back home to his mom of her crazy outfits.

Huffing, Rose sat back besides Lily on the bench, changing her food back to normal, with just enough time to eat a few bites of egg before it all disappeared. Hugo looked at his sister worriedly. She barely ate enough as it is, and here she was, missing out on breakfast once more. Glaring at Malfoy, Hugo took this moment, to up and drag Lily off to class.

Lily chuckled, "Come on angry boy, we have Herbology, and you know how our mum's want us to give Longbottom some more 'love'…" Laughing slightly as Hugo lightened up, the pair headed out to the greenhouses.

Meanwhile, back in the Great Hall, Rose took her time getting her bag together, so by the time she was ready to leave; only a few students remained. She and Albus headed up to Defense Against the Dark Arts class, where their new Professor waited avidly. Albus had heard about their new Professor from his father. Apparently, according to Harry, he had been in the same year as him. Professor Thomas was supposedly an excellent Auror too.

Sure enough, as Rose and Albus entered the room just in time, they spotted a man they recognized from family photos. Dean Thomas looked no different, his dark skin contrasting against the bright room their class was held in, he was just a bit taller and older.

"Ah! Rose! Albus! Good to see you both! Had a feeling you guys would be in this class! How're your parents?" he asked.

"They're good, Professor Thomas," Rose said simply, "Pops says hello, and Mum says she hopes you're doing well. I believe Albus' say the same, don't they?" Albus just nodded, "Anyways Professor, what are we doing today?"

"Lucky you guys, I've got a treat! You're going to be learning Patronuses a year early!" the Professor replied.

Albus smiled, he had already perfected his the Christmas before, thanks to his father. But Rose groaned. Glaring at her, Albus turned to sit at one of the only empty spots left, next to a blonde Ravenclaw boy. Leaving poor Rose to sit next to the Slytherin pain himself. Albus muttered a quick apology to Rose, before turning back to the Professor. Rose strode to the back of the class, snickering at the fact that Malfoy had yet to remove the boils that graced his supposedly flawless skin. At least they looked less painful now. I suppose one of his friends had aided him.

When practice time came around, everyone was impressed with Albus' stag patronus. Just like his father and grandfather, no surprise there.

But now they all knew why Rose had groaned as such at the beginning of class, she simply could not produce one.

"Are you using a very happy powerful memory?" the Professor asked. Rose nodded furiously, concentrating hard on her wand actions. Not even a whiff of smoke would come out, as others had at least managed to do.

"The happiest one you could think of? Are you sure?" Rose nodded, almost in tears from concentration. "Look, just don't worry about it. See me after class, and we'll work it out. Anyways, good job Mr. Potter, just like your father's!" she heard Professor Thomas praise. Rose groaned again, before giving up and slumping in her seat.

Suddenly an odd creature jumped onto her desk, causing Rose to jump. It looked like a cross between an otter and a fox. Rose stared at it for a moment, before it winked and disappeared. Had she been mistaken, or was that patronus a Weasel? Looking around, she searched for whoever could have conjured it, but no one was looking her way. Shaking her head, she deemed herself imagining things, and went back to daydreaming.

As class ended, she remained in her seat, watching as the other students passed by. Great, she was missing her free period to do work! Rose plucked her wand out from behind her ear, a habit she had gotten from Auntie Luna as well, and twiddled the slender mahogany between her fingers as she waited.

Finally it was just her and the Professor. He smiled at her, prompting Rose to smile back. "Try again, just concentrate on the memory, let it flow through you, take up every fiber of your being. Then say the spell."

Closing her eyes, Rose thought. The memory she had chosen was from several years ago, on New Years Eve. Sitting beneath an arch near the exit to the Burrow, Rose sat quietly by herself, simply humming a random Christmas tune. She had had a wonderful Christmas holiday; her stomach was full and she had a room full of presents. That's all it was. Her just being happy and being with family on the holidays. It may not seem very happy, but that was one of Rose's happiest moments in her life.

"Expecto Patronum!" she said, after letting the memory flood her. But nothing, not even a little wisp escaped her wand.

Just as Rose was about to give up, there was a knock on the door, and a familiar blonde head popped in, this time void of boils. However, as he saw Rose still there, he stammered, "Er sorry Professor, forgot my bag!" Malfoy said, as he zipped across the classroom, grabbed his bag off the floor, and next thing he was gone.

Then it hit Rose. She had a much more powerful memory. Lots more. Nothing made Rose Weasley happier than insulting the prat Scorpius Malfoy. Smirking, she told this to the Professor. Shrugging, the man gave her a thumbs up, as if to say give it a try. And she did just that.

Sure enough, as the thought of cursing Malfoy this morning slipped into her mind, a strong white light emanated from the tip of her wand, swishing and twirling into a form she could hardly pick out at first, but smiled as it formed itself into a small creature atop her desk. Looking closer, she saw the creature take shape as it appeared to be some sort of monkey.

"I did it Professor!" Rose squealed, jumping up and down, as the little monkey watched her bounce. "Who knew my happiest memory could involve Malfoy?" smiling at the little Capuchin before her. "Anyways, Professor, I've still got half a free period to enjoy, but thanks!"

Grabbing her stuff, she raced to leave. Waving good bye, she exited the classroom, taking off to the Common Room to rest. However the Professor watched, amused as the monkey looked at him, and then at the door, and changed form. Only the Professor saw what new animal it had taken form of, and he decided to keep it to himself as it disappeared.

And the boy in the shadows managed to witness everything, unbeknownst to the red head skipping off to Gryffindor tower, he watched, his Weasel patronus at his side.

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**A/N: **So does it sound good so far? Do you like my version of Scorpius and Rose? They will get more in depth, I promise. And you'll hear more background stories, and there's lots of class stuff, and prejudiced crap coming up. Even a few cutesy moments :)

Anyways, got a little exerpt from the next chapter:

_"Heh– you look…you look like a –ha ha– drowned rat!" he said, trying to calm himself down, only to laugh harder. I ignored his childish-ness (inside I was fuming, however) and removed myself from the pool._

_His laughter stopped._

_I looked back over, only to see him ogling what he saw. Rolling my eyes, I grabbed at a towel. "Malfoy, put your eyes back in their sockets and keep them to yourself," I managed, even though a blush was creeping onto my cheeks. Great, the trademark Weasley blush, just what I needed right now. _

Cute? Not cute? Oh well, give an opinion if you want to hear just why they are in a pool. Together. Alone. :3 I'm just that evil I will leave you hanging.

Anyways, REVIEW ...

LLxx


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: **Hey guys! I decided 3 reviews was enough, I couldn't wait anymore! Aha...anyways, here's chapter two of A Fine Line...From now on the story is mostly told in Rose's POV. If it's anyone else, you'll be told otherwise. but if not, just assume it's Rose.

OK, some of you don't know which cousin belongs to which family, so I'll help you out:

Harry and Ginny (Weasley) Potter - James, Albus, Lily  
Ron and Hermione (Granger) Weasley - Rose, Hugo  
Draco and Astoria (Greengrass) Malfoy - Scorpius  
Bill and Fleur (Delacour) Weasley - Victoire, Dominique, Louis  
Remus and Nymphadora (Tonks) Lupin - Teddy  
George and Angelina (Johnson) Weasley - Fred, Roxanne  
Percy and Audrey (Unknown) Weasley - Molly, Lucy  
Rolf and Luna (Lovegood) Scamander - Lorcan, Lysander

Hope that helps a bit! Also, there will be no non-canon cousins. Only non-canons will be OC's.

I know I said the first was the only one, but I need another one:

**Disclaimer: **Any info on family or school layouts I got from either the Harry Potter Wikia or Lexicon. Or Google in general.

Anyways, here's chapter two, and don't forget to review! I'd like more than 3 please :3

PS: Feel free to catch me on mistakes such as switching POV's and spelling. I tend to do that accidently!

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A Fine Line

Chapter Two

xxRosexx

Stupid color of the stupid ceiling in my stupid room in the stupid Gryffindor tower. I just couldn't get back to sleep, and had been laying here awake for half an hour, only it was really early.

Grumbling I hauled myself out of bed, wanting to at least get a wash before breakfast, and feeling extra special today, I decided to take advantage of my Prefect duties and head on up to the Prefect's bathroom for a nice bath. Considering I woke up way to early this morning, pampering was needed.

Grabbing my stuff, I shoved it all into a small rucksack, and made my way quietly out of the dorm, and out into the corridors. Luckily, the way to the bathroom was free of Professors, so getting there was easy, and un-interrupted. Finding the statue of Boris the Bewildered, I headed to its left side to find the door.

_Crystallized Pineapple _the password rolled off my lips, and the door swung open, revealing the vastly over-sized bathroom only for Prefects. Sighing, I headed over to the changing area, and decided instead of an individual bath today, I would get in the large one. With a flick of my wand, the faucets turned on, sending hundreds of shades of water and bubble bath into the pool-sized tub. The mermaid in the portrait on the wall winked at me, and returned to brushing her hair.

It was required, if using the large tub, to wear a bathing suit, so you could share with the other prefects, so I slipped on my gold bikini that was covered in crimson floral patterns (how appropriate for a Gryffindor, and yet how it clashed horribly with my auburn hair), and slid down into the hot water. My wand was tucked neatly behind my ear, and my slightly frizzy hair matted itself to my face as I swam around.

The bubbles soothed my tense skin, and the aroma made me feel much more awake. Re-emerging on the surface, I used my fingers to comb my hair out of my eyes. Laughing, I began using my wand to shampoo my hair, trying to get the auburn locks to co-operate. Just like my mother, they were frizzy and bushy, but a lot sleeker thanks to my father's heritage.

Suddenly I could hear a creaking noise and the sound of a door closing. Looking up, I groaned as I saw a figure enter in Slytherin robes.

"Malfoy," I said curtly.

"Weasley," he replied.

Turning away, I resumed my bath, siphoning the shampoo from my hair with a simple _Aguamenti_ spell. I could hear him moving behind me. I assumed he would go into an individual bath, but moments later I heard a splash nearby in the big tub.

Looking over, I glared, showing him I did not appreciate his presence. He simply smirked, swimming further into the pool with an impressive breast stroke.

By this time my hair was clear of any shampoo leftover, and I was trying to keep the image of his also impressive body in those dark green swimming trunks out of my mind. Just as I decided it was time to get out and dry off, a huge amount of water settled over my head, leaving me spluttering and swiping at my eyes.

Growling, I sent my best icy glare in his direction, only to see him guffawing with laughter. He thought this was funny? Bastard.

"Heh– you look…you look like a –ha ha– drowned rat!" he said, trying to calm himself down, only to laugh harder. I ignored his childish-ness (inside I was fuming, however) and removed myself from the pool.

His laughter stopped.

I looked back over, only to see him ogling what he saw. Rolling my eyes, I grabbed at a towel. "Malfoy, put your eyes back in their sockets and keep them to yourself," I managed, even though a blush was creeping onto my cheeks. Great, the trademark Weasley blush, just what I needed right now.

"Why? It seems you are enjoying the attention," he shrugged, as if it was no big deal. I glared again, wrapping the soft white towel around my body and grabbing a soft green robe off a hook that someone had left behind, wrapping it around myself. "You know…green looks good on you. Remind me again why you weren't in Slytherin?" he asked, winking in my direction.

The blush worsened, "Because Malfoy, I'm not conniving, or cunning. I don't feel like I have to be mean towards everyone else. I don't seek for approval or power. And most importantly, I'm. Not. You." I spat the last line. That was uncalled for, but his comment unnerved me.

This seemed to strike a nerve in him as well, because moments later he was standing beside me, his wand pointed at my throat. I gulped.

"You don't have to carry those traits to be a Slytherin, you know," he hissed low. "How do you know I wasn't like your Uncle Harry? That I didn't _ask_ to be in Slytherin. The Sorting Hat listens, remember?"

I gasped. No one knew that story except for a few people. I wonder how he found out? Probably Albus, or James for that matter. Bragging about their dad always made them feel better. Or perhaps his family knew something about it. His father had been in school with Uncle Harry, Aunt Ginny and my parents.

"If you're wondering, Mr. Potter told me himself. If you don't believe me, ask him," sighing, Scorpius lowered his wand, "I ran into him before first year in Diagon Alley. All I had to do was mention who I was, and we got to talking.

"He knew who I was of course. Anyways, I told him of my not wanting to be in the same house as my father and all the other Death Eaters, and he told me what he'd done to get in Gryffindor. How does it feel to know your Uncle more than likely would have been in Slytherin? He never would have been friends with your parents. One simple little statement is what brought you into this world '_Not Slytherin, not Slytherin_' heh."

I growled. I knew what he was saying was true, but I didn't like that he knew about it. It unsettled me. I sniffed, feeling my eyes burning. No way would I cry at something so trivial. However what unsettled me was the smell he was permeating. Spicy, but woodsy. Almost like cinnamon. I almost swooned, but I gripped my surroundings and put it in the back of my mind.

"But you just basically admitted to asking to get into Slytherin, yet you didn't want to? I'm confused…" He hesitated.

"Well Rosie – " I cringed, I hated that nickname, he grinned and continued, "I asked to not be in Slytherin. But the dear hat asked me what was better, being placed in a house where I would fit in, and be accepted, or be placed in a house where I would be ostracized and looked down upon. I chose the former, and the next word he said, well, you guessed it…" pointing to his tie thrown haphazardly on the bench by the wall that I hadn't noticed.

"Oh…" was my reply. _Oh_ …that's all I could come up with? No witty comeback? No sly remark? Just _Oh_ ? How lame of me.

"Yeah, well breakfast is in fifteen minutes, so I'm going to go get dressed, if you don't mind…" he said, a goofy look on his face. I rolled my eyes, grabbing my own things and heading to the female changing area. But all I could think about was, with those boils from yesterday gone, how good Scorpius looked in those trunks…

xxxx

"So you mean to say he was practically naked, and you never took advantage of this situation?" Lily said, completely shocked.

However Albus and James were more shocked as they stared at her incredulously.

"I'm 14, I'm allowed to look at guys that way now, fix your mouths or a Snorkack might get lodged in there…" They promptly closed their jaws, but their eyes were still bugged out. Did I mention she spent too much time with our Auntie Luna? Yeah. Enough said. "Rose, you could have easily made out with him! Guys have hormones; I bet he would have responded! I know these two buffoons would if it was any other girl." She pointed at dumb and dumber, who had lost all interest in their conversation at this point and were turned to cousins Fred and Roxanne, probably planning their next big prank. I rolled my eyes.

"Why would I make out with Scorpius? I have no reason to. Would you make out with Jacob McLaggen?" I asked, pointing out the Ravenclaw fourth year that she had been feuding with in similar ways to her and Malfoy. Lily paled. Heh.

"Er – no, point taken Rose. How about that upcoming Quidditch match?" and this is when I loved Lily most; always bringing up one of my favourite topics.

It paid to be one of Gryffindor's chasers. Her family made up more than half the team. Albus was Seeker, like his father of course. James was a chaser and Captain as well, like his mom; Aunt Ginny played chaser for the Holyhead Harpies. Cousin Molly was the Keeper and Cousin Louis was a Beater. Leaving only the other Beater position, which was filled by family friend Lorcan Scamander, and the other Chaser position, which was filled by his twin Lysander. Basically no one else had bothered to try out when they saw the whole Weasley/Potter clan show up to try-outs. Leaving the empty spots to either the Lysander twins or the three other Gryffindors who braved the family.

They were all well-skilled in the sport, and were a force to reckon on the field.

Not all their family had made the team, however. Teddy had been on the team, but he had graduated before I had even started school. Victoire was now graduated as well, but she had avoided Quidditch like the plague. They were both happily married and expecting a baby soon. My younger brother Hugo was clumsier than a confounded house elf, so he preferred the ground, as did Lily. Louis' older sister Dominique was more interested in boys than sports; unless they were boys who played sports. Fred and Roxanne were too busy with their pranks and would rather cheer everyone else on. And little Lucy, Molly's younger sister, rathered being the announcer, now that family friend Connor Jordan had graduated.

I counted off in my head. Yep, that was everyone. So far. Snickering, I turned back to Lily, who was still going on about the amazing plays we could use against Ravenclaw with Albus, as it seems James was ignoring him now to talk to Frank and Alice who had arrived. Well just Alice. Frank was staring absentmindedly at Roxanne. I grinned, and idea forming in my head already.

"You know Lils, we should probably finish eating, we only have five minutes until class starts. And I don't know about you, but I've got Arithmancy first, and that's on the sixth floor. I do not want to be late." I began shovelling a few pieces of bacon in my mouth, grabbed my bag, and left the Great Hall, leaving a still chattering Lily in my wake. Of course she didn't care if she was late, but I cared.

Running at full speed, I huffed my way into the sixth floor classroom just as the clock ticked to nine o'clock. Professor Vector just smiled at me as I took the only available empty seat next to Malfoy. This was growing into a habit. Oh well, it could have been worse. Plopping down, I grinned wickedly at him. Perhaps he could help me on my plans to play matchmaker with James and Alice and Frank and Roxanne. Nah, he wouldn't be interested.

Professor Vector stood. For being well in his seventies, the man was still in good shape and strode across the front of the room. "Good morning class. Glad to see some of you have continued your interest in my class. Some of you received top marks on your OWLs, while the rest of you still did very excellent, and you should be proud of yourselves. I'm amazed all of you aren't in Ravenclaw for those marks. Still, this year will be much harder than last, and I do not expect to see those grades drop, understand?" – everyone nodded – "Good."

Class continued, Scorpius and I fought to answer the Professor, earning a nice even amount of sixty house points each in just one class. I groaned. He was good looking, _and_ smart? So not fair.

Yeah, I just admitted he was good looking. Get over it, there's no harm there. I bet Cleopatra found her enemy Octavian pretty damn good looking. … I really had to stop using Muggle references from mum.

Class ended abruptly, and I raced to get a good seat in DADA. It was a double class today. And Professor Thomas was checking to see if anyone had practiced their patronuses.

Only several minutes into the class, my monkey sat on my desk, making funny faces at me, forcing me to laugh.

"Of course your patronus would be ridiculous. Just like you…" Malfoy sneered at me. I glared.

"Where's yours then, let's see it…" I huffed. He looked frightened for a moment, before shaking his head and returning to his table. Well that certainly was odd. Maybe he couldn't produce one. I'd have to tease him about that later.

When everyone had shown the Professor how they had progressed, we moved on to Cursed Objects. Some people didn't seem to enjoy this topic much. And that included Malfoy.

"Now students, Cursed Objects can be anything. It could be a hairbrush, a Quaffle, your mother's favourite necklace – " out of the corner of my eye, I saw Malfoy cringe. Curious. "So everyone has to be careful with almost anything. Luckily nowadays Cursed Objects are banned from being traded or sold. If you are caught with one, you are sent straight to Azkaban. Now then, who can tell me an example of when a Cursed Object was used in a manner to harm someone?"

The Professor looked around the room. I would have raised my hand, but for once, I didn't know what to say. Admitting to know about cursed things brands you in school. My hand stayed down.

"Miss Weasley? No? How about you Mr. Malfoy? Surely _one_ _of_ _you_ must know," I didn't like the way he was eyeing us. Like he knew what we would answer. But I really didn't know any except a few scattered through history's tales.

"Well…" I could hear Scorpius say in a small voice. "There was a necklace involved in the plot of killing Headmaster Dumbledore – " he stopped talking. Everyone stared at him incredulously. How'd he know that?

"Correct Mr. Malfoy, fifteen points for your gusto. Studies show that a student was Imperiused into transporting a cursed necklace to the Headmaster from Hogsmeade. No one really knows the full story, but they say the Death Eaters were behind it." The entire time the Professor's eyes had been on Scorpius, but he hung his head low, not looking up once, even flinching once at the Professor's words. I felt a pang of pity flow through me. "However, the necklace ended up in the unsuspecting student's hands, landing her in St. Mungo's for weeks afterwards. Katie Bell her name was. You may know her as your flying coach from first year."

Students stared in awe at him. Albus almost looked bored, as if he'd heard this story a million times before. And Scorpius looked afraid.

Suddenly I got a plan. "Professor? Is it true what they say about Madam Bell? That she used to fly with the Holyhead Harpies with Ginny Potter? I mean I heard stories, but she would never confirm them…" Chatters rang around the room at the new topic.

"Ah yes Miss Weasley, Katie was a good friend of mine as well when I was in school. I remember she sent me season tickets and I attended several games. Now enough talk about Quidditch and Cursed Objects. Time to move on…" Scorpius looked relieved, and looked over at me as if I had just saved his life from the Giant Squid or something. I smiled tentatively and I was surprised when he smiled back.

xxxx

"Malfoy! Hey Malfoy, wait up!" I called to him as classes ended for the day. I had decided not to bring anything up during classes, in case he had gotten embarrassed. He had avoided her anyways, it seemed. Tending, instead, to sit with anyone the first chance he got. Even with Albus in Potions. Needless to say Albus had been surprised, but he shrugged his shoulders and got to work.

Huffing, I chased after him, and then I saw an opportunity. I knew there was an empty classroom ahead. If I ran just fast enough, I could drag him in there and confront him.

Running at full speed, I managed to grab his arm, despite his protests, and drag him into the empty room.

"Hey!" he cried, as I closed the door behind me.

"You've been avoiding me," I said simply.

"N-no I haven't," he said, clearly not comfortable with being confronted.

"Scorpius. You sat next to Albus. In Potions."

"…" he stared at me, "I guess you have a point…"

"All I want to know is why?" I asked quietly.

A flash of something crossed his eyes, but I couldn't be too sure if I had even seen it or not, because as quick as it was there, it was gone.

"Because I can't stand it when people take pity on me, OK?" he sneered.

_That_ was unexpected.

My eyes widened in shock. "_Sorry_ didn't know you were so touchy today. Next time I do something to help, I'll be sure to let you know ahead of time so I can avoid getting treated like _this_," I turned to the door, determined to get out of there as fast as possible.

"Yeah, or next time just leave me alone, OK?" he glared, and rushed past me before I could even start to walk away. I would have followed him through the door, had he not slammed it in my face.

* * *

**A/N: **Love it? Hate it? Let me know what you think! Any criticism? Go for it! Praise? Let me hear it! REVIEW :)

Here's a tiny exerpt from the next chapter...which I will post when I get 3+ reviews :3 I'm evil...

_"Hey! Roxanne! Wait up, would you!" I huffed. Geez, I needed to work out more, I was getting out of shape._

_Roxanne turned around, "Oh, hey Rose! What do you need? I'm kind of in a hurry. Potions class in five minutes..." she said, looking puzzled at her._

_"Would you consider going on a double date with me to Hogsmeade next weekend?"_

_Roxanne looked at me. "Double date? Since when do _you_ have a date?" I rolled my eyes._

_"Since about five minutes ago. Lorcan's invited me to the Three Broomsticks. I'd ask you to be Lysander's date, but he's got one."_

_"..." she looked at me, "Lorcan? Meh. But who would be my date?"_

_"Well Frank and Alice are coming. And I've kind of forced Alice to ask James, but Frank is dateless. So...?" I looked at her hopefully. Roxanne rolled her eyes and nodded._

This will certainly prove to be interesting. Now it may take me a bit to post. Considering I haven't written the next part yet...Aha I just wrote that exerpt there and plan to insert it somewhere in the next chappie :)

Anyways, Review? Please?

LLxx


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: **Clearly I have no patience, or you wouldn't be getting Chapter 3 with only 5 reviews under my belt. But I needed to get this one off my chest.

Also, the little tidbit I gave you in the last chappie, I had to alter it to fit the requirements, and I'm too lazy to go back and change it. So if the part seems different, it's cause it is. :D

Also, if you are unsure of lineage, just ask me and I'll tell you.

Sorry if this chapter seems choppy, but I only just wrote it. The other two (well one and a half) were all written before hand and I had LOTS of time to edit them, but this whole chapter was written and edited in a day and a half.

I'm going to wait a tiny bit before I update again (probably the weekend) to leave you all in a bit of suspense...and to force you to review! muahaha... Anyways Chapter 3!

* * *

A Fine Line

Chapter 3

"…and he just slammed it in my face!" I finished, recounting the events to Albus later in the Common Room. "I mean I was only trying to help…" Looking down, I blushed sheepishly. "S'not like I was doing it out of pity – "

"Rose."

" – Sure I felt sorry for him – "

"Rose!"

" – but I mean, no one deserves attention thrown like that. – "

"Rose!"

" – I know I'd want someone to do the same for me – "

"ROSE!"

"Whaaaat?" I whined to Albus, who was now heaving from yelling so loud.

"Just. Stop. Talking!" he pointed out.

"Oh."

Groaning, Albus looked at me. "Guys have things called _pride_ Rose. Dunno if you've ever heard of it. But it means that a girl standing up for them is something that they want. Especially not when it's you and this situation."

I looked at him, confused. "What do you mean 'this situation'?"

Albus looked at me like I was stark raving mad. "You don't kno– " he began, but stopped. "If your mother hasn't told you, it's not my story to tell. –"

"Albus."

" – I only know because of dad. – "

"Albus!"

" – I thought Aunt Hermione would tell you of all people. – "

"Albus!"

" – Rose you should probably talk with her – "

"ALBUS!"

He gave me a blank stare. And the howling of laughter began. Neither of us could stop at this point. Roxanne and Fred passed us by, and not soon after James, Frank and Alice. They all gave us weird looks, but we continued guffawing until we had stitches in our sides.

"S'seriously Rose. Seriously. Talk to your mom, OK?" I nodded, knowing full well I would Owl her before the night was out now.

By the time ten o'clock rolled around, I was beat, so I headed up to my dorm early. I knew my owl was in my room anyways; he had been since yesterday. So there was no need to go to the Owlery this late at night.

Grabbing a quill, some ink and a spare bit of parchment, I began to write…

_Hey Mum!_

_How's everything going at home? I'm fine here. I'm sure Hugo's doing well._

_This letter isn't really about me though. It's about you…  
_

I paused, not sure what to write, but deciding on something, I continued…

_  
Professor Thomas (Dean says hello by the way! As does Neville, Katie and all the other Professors who know you!) was talking about cursed objects in class the other day. And something along the lines of a cursed necklace in the plot to kill Professor Dumbledore was brought up._

_Anyways, long story short (there were mentions of Death Eaters and the like) that Malfoy boy (Scorpius, remember?) seemed pretty offended by it. So, I stood up for him and got the attention on to Quidditch to distract Professor Thomas._

_Needless to say, Malfoy ignored me all day then, and when I confronted him about it, he looked at me like I was a bat out of hell and basically told me to sod off._

_I told all this to Albus, and he began to stutter about something from your past. I know you were involved with the Battle of Hogwarts and all, but what does this have to do with the plot to kill Professor Dumbledore and Malfoy?_

_Perhaps you'd rather talk in person? I hear there's a Hogsmeade trip next weekend already! Feel like a butterbeer and seeing your lovely daughter…and maybe Hugo, too?_

_Oh, and tell father we send our love!_

_Love always,_

_Rose_

I smiled. This seemed all fine and dandy enough to me. Taking a piece of string, I quickly tied it to Pig II's leg. My father couldn't bear it when the original died, and insisted I name my little one by the same name.

I gave the owl a pellet and watched it fly off into the night. Hopefully I'd hear back in the morning.

xxxx

The cold air permeated even the warm dorm rooms of the Gryffindor Tower. Shivering, I wrapped my sweater tighter around my arms as I dragged myself out of bed. Why was it so cold this September morning? Teeth chattering, I shoved my trainers on my feet and shuffled down to the Common Room.

For an early Saturday morning, the Common Room was oddly full. I could see some of my family sitting together. Lorcan, Lysander, James, Frank, Alice, Roxanne and Fred all sat nearest the fire, laughing inanely about some joke or another. Fred and the twins seemed a little put out, like third wheels, but they were getting on fine.

I think it was time to set up my plan. You know..._the_ plan.

Walking over, I promptly plopped myself next to the twins. "Hey guys!"

Both brightened, "Hey Rose!" They replied in unison.

"Did you hear –" began Lorcan.

" – There's a Hogsmeade trip –" Lysander continued.

" – Next weekend?" Lorcan finished. It was creepy when they did that.

"Yeah, I did!" I said excitedly. "Are you going to go Fred?" I said, trying to include him.

"Yeah. Got a date, too!" he said, grinning ear to ear.

"Aww ickle Freddy is growing up – "

" – to be a man!"

"Oh sod off!" he said, grumpy once more, but the grin remained.

"So…?" I prompted. He blankly stared at me. "…with who?"

"Er – Cassie…you know, the Ravenclaw?"

"Oh Cassiopeia…yeah I know her. Bones right? Her mum was in the DA with our parents. She's really nice! Don't hurt her you dimwitted fool…" I teased. "Our parents would kill you." Winking, I turned to the twins. "How cute!" Fred blushed crimson then.

"I'm not the only one with a date!" he blurted suddenly. I grinned. Just like Fred, giving away people's secrets. I turned to the twins, and sure enough, Lysander was redder than a tomato in the sun.

"Spill boy!" I commanded.

"…M-Mandy Brown…" he said quietly.

"What? What's that? Didn't hear you!" I teased further.

"Mandy Brown!" he nearly shouted, before turning even more red, if that was possible.

I grinned. "Oh my dad would love to hear that one…isn't she Lavender Brown's daughter? Dad told me all about her. Lavender's the one who my dad went out with their sixth year, which pissed my mom off royally…he'll find this funny!" It seemed that beneath the blush, Lysander paled. He _hated_ my father. Well hate is a strong word. More like _dislike immensely. _I laughed.

"What about you Lorcan? Got a date?" Lorcan paled. Guess that was a no. "Hey, I'll tell you what. I've got no date, so you can escort me, OK? But you'll have to get me a butterbeer."

Lorcan seemed to lighten up, and he nodded.

"Great, now that we're all paired off, I just got to work on those four over there…" I said, pointing to James and Alice and Roxanne and Frank. Shouldn't be too hard.

The twins and Fred looked at me funny. "It's obvious their smitten and I'm playing matchmaker! Tootles!" I said.

Getting up, I promptly left the Common Room and headed down to breakfast.

Just as I had suspected, I had received a reply from my mother in the post.

_Dear Rose,_

_It was lovely to hear from you dear. But about more pressing matters._

_Albus was right in instructing you to talk to me, so yes I will meet you in the Three Broomsticks at three o'clock in the afternoon. And please see to it your brother is there sometime around that time as well!_

_I shouldn't talk about the topic in a letter, so I will leave it at that._

_Glad to hear you are enjoying classes and such, and I hope to see you soon my girl._

_Oh, and your father sends his regards. As well as a warning:  
_

There was some scribble, as if they had been fighting for the quill, and then some script in a different writing style.

_  
Rose dear, don't get too close to that Malfoy boy.__ I don't want you distracted from your studies! You beating him is important, remember?_

More scribble from mom:

_  
Ron! Don't put prejudice in her mind, let her do what she wants –_

Then dad again:

_  
Alright, Rosie, just don't let him get to your head. And I'm not prejudiced Hermione. I hold a grudge yes, but that's no reason to hate his son. Astoria is a nice woman, even if Draco was a pompous –_

_  
Ron!_

…_Nincompoop. There happy?_

And then finally back to mom.

_  
That was pleasant. Anyways dear, keep up the grades, your OWLs were almost better than mine!_

_Love always,_

_Mom … AND DAD  
_

I laughed Hugo would find this funny; I would have to show it to him later.

xxxx

It seemed I sat by myself for a while until the rest of my family joined me. I showed Hugo the letter, and like predicted, he laughed. But he did promise to be there when mom was, so that was good. Grabbing a last piece of toast, I decided to use my free weekend wisely and get some studying in. I mean, I feel like I haven't been to the library in forever.

I know it's the first week back, stop gaping.

Stopping back to my dorm, I grabbed my notes for Transfiguration and Charms, planning to get a head start on the essays already due next week. I shoved some parchment and a few quills in my rucksack before making my way to the Library.

Ah! The Library! Besides Hogwarts, it was my home away from home! The books practically knew me by name, having read nearly every single one for light reading.

Finding my usual spot at the empty table in between the Charms shelves, I laid out all of my materials and began working.

As my quill scribbled across the parchment, I barely took note of what I was writing, knowing the topic of _Avis_ nearly off by heart thanks to my mum.

"_Avis. A simple spell, although difficult to cast as it has very particular wand movements and must be pronounced with particular emphasis on the _A_, conjures a flock of birds from the tip of the caster's wand. The flock of birds are usually something basic like Canaries or Finches, however…_

My quill continued to scribble, however my attention was distracted by a paper airplane softly landing in front of me. Reluctantly laying down my quill, I picked up the plane and pulled its wings apart, only to see a small drawing on the paper.

I stared blankly at it. What the _bloody hell_ was it?

It looked like two stick people, and by some charm they were walking in the drawing. One had obscenely red hair that looked like an afro, while the other had sleek blonde locks. I glared; Malfoy of course.

Next thing I knew the little Malfoy character took out his wand and pointed it at the little me, and I watched as my hair seemed to turn a slimy green before seemingly melting off my head. I rolled my eyes, but chuckled nonetheless.

Looking up, I saw Scorpius sitting at the next table over. I had been so busy studying, I hadn't even seen him. I beckoned for him to come over, and within a minute, he had transferred all his materials to my table.

"I'm sorry Rose. I snapped at you earlier and I had no right to do that…forgive me?" He gave me a puppy dog eye look. I couldn't believe it. _The_ Scorpius Malfoy was giving me the puppy dog pout. I laughed.

"Yes you baby, I forgive you. But don't think I won't let you forget it. I bet I know why you were so upset – " he looked frightened for a moment, "You couldn't even produce a patronus! Ha! Something I can do that you can't!"

Scorpius stared at me incredulously as if I had ten arms or something. "Er yeah. Heh, guess I'll get it eventually." Odd, but I didn't push manners.

We sat in comfortable silence then, studying our butts off, passing notes back and forth and asking each other questions every now and then, but basically it was a peaceful morning.

"Rose!"

Or _was_ peaceful. I wince, knowing the librarian would have our heads if I didn't shut Lily up quickly.

"What Lily?" I whispered fiercely. Scorpius just chuckled and continued to work.

"You done yet?" she whispered back, seeming to get my point.

"No! Why?"

"I need help with a Defence Against the Dark Arts essay. I just don't understand how a Sneakoscope works. Why does Professor Thomas have to be an Auror…he knows too much!" she groaned.

"Fine fine, give me ten minutes, and I'll meet you in the Common Room, OK?" Lily seemed to find this acceptable, as she nodded, and ran off.

At this point I had completely lost my train of thought. My Charms essay was complete, but I still had a good half a page left to write on Animagus' for Transfiguration. I decided the faster I wrote, the faster I'd get this done.

Luckily I knew a lot about it. Uncle Harry's godfather had been one, and Albus and I convinced his dad to tell us all about it. Not to mention the countless reading I'd done on it in fourth year the moment I heard the word leave McGonagall's lips.

"_However, becoming an Animagus is an extremely difficult feat. It takes years to learn the skill, not to mention around a year for the registration to file through the Ministry…"_

My essay continued on in the same fashion until I finally concluded by dotting the last 'i'. Rolling up my two essays, I began to put my notes away. "See you Scorpius!" I said to him quietly as I left the Library. The clock above the door told me I had only been six minutes, leaving me plenty of time to meet Lily in the Common Room, so I took my time back.

Entering the Common Room, I found it empty save for Lily and Albus; the latter seeming to be doing homework as well. Perhaps I had finally gotten to him!

"Hey Lily! Let's get this over with so we can enjoy the rest of our Saturday. It's still the afternoon after all!

xxxx

Monday morning. Remember my little match-making plans? Well here goes little Cupid!

"Hey! Roxanne! Wait up, would you!" I huffed. Geez, I needed to work out more, I was getting out of shape.

Roxanne turned around, "Oh, hey Rose! What do you need? I'm kind of in a hurry. Potions class in five minutes..." she said, looking puzzled at me.

"Would you consider going on a double date with me to Hogsmeade next weekend?"

Roxanne looked at me. "Double date? Since when do you have a date?" I rolled my eyes.

"Since Friday. Lorcan's escorting me to the Three Broomsticks. I'd ask you to be Lysander's date, but he's got one."

"..." she looked at me, "Lorcan? Meh. But who would be my date?"

"Well Frank and Alice are coming. And I'm kind of forcing Alice to ask James, but Frank is dateless. So...?" I looked at her hopefully. Roxanne rolled her eyes and nodded.

"Goodie! One down…three to go…now where's Frank?…" I muttered to myself as I wandered away from a thoroughly weirded out Roxanne.

It took me a good ten minutes, but I finally found Frank, who was moping by the door leading down to the Kitchens. Luckily us sixth years managed to get first period off. Professor Thomas landed himself a nasty stomach flu – Albus swears he's Skiving, but no one believes him.

"Aren't you supposed to be in class?" I asked him, putting on my best Professor voice.

Frank looked startled for a moment until he realized it was just me. "Oh…hi Rose."

Now _that_ was not the Frank I knew. "OK, what's wrong?" I asked.

He looked at me sadly, "I…it's just your cousin…Roxanne…"

"Say no more lover boy. I have your problem solved. You're going on a date with her on Saturday."

Frank brightened up. "Seriously? Are you sure?" I nodded, "Do divulge?"

"I just told her you needed a date since we were all paired off…anyways bring her flowers, buy her things and make her feel extra special. You'll be dating before you can say 'girlfriend'. Now who's the best?"

Frank's arms were around me in seconds giving me the biggest bear hug I'd ever received. "Thanks Rose! And you are! I better get to Charms…Flitwick will have a fit, but he loves me so he won't care!"

Two down. Two to go.

* * *

**A/N: **It wasn't too choppy, was it? I tried so hard to make it better, but it just sucks... :(

Next chapter will be much better, I promise! I don't think it's going to include the Hogsmeade trip just yet. Or if it does, only a part of it. That was originally meant to be in the following chapter.

After the Hogsmeade chapter, there will be another one, and then I'm skipping forward in time (you'll see how that works out) cause November is boring. Might just go right to December.

Anywas, here's a little exerpt I'm including in the next chappie :) enjoy!

_"Albuuuus! They won't listen! They're all meanies..." I huffed. Sitting at the Gryffindor table means sitting with basically my whole family. And right now, they were all ignoring me while I tried to tell them something totally awesome._

_"What is it this time Rose?" he asked, seemingly annoyed._

_"See, even you didn't listen..." I pouted. I hated being ignored. "You're such a twat!"_

_"Well at least I'm not a sissy like you!" he said, sticking his tongue out childishly._

_"You bumble...at least I have a reason...I AM a girl," I rolled my eyes._

_"Will you two SHUT UP!" Lily boomed._

_Albus and I stared at her wide eyed, "No!" we replied in unison. Heh._

OMG i cant believe i managed to make 3 AVPM references there...actually I may just throw a whole bunch into the next chappie for fun...yeah. and whoever counts them all wins a virtual prize :D

Anyways, Voldemort out bitches...*ahem*

LLxx


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N:** Aha clearly I do have NO patience, as here is chapter 4...LOL

So there are an amount of AVPM reference in here...if you can count them all, I will give you a virtual prize :)

Feel free to review! Oh and this chappie is so much better than last...and the little exerpt I gave you last time? Had to edit out a bit to make it fit...oh well! Here we go!

* * *

A Fine Line

Chapter 4

"Hey! James!" I could see my cousin up further ahead, but he was completely engrossed in something Lysander was saying. "Oi! Pighead!" He looked then, confusion etched on his face.

I actually had to stop I was laughing so hard.

When I finally was able to approach them, I spluttered out, "C'can't believe you l'looked!" grinning as he smacked my arm. "Ow!"

"Sorry, now what did you want Thorns?" I smirked at the old nickname.

"Need to talk to you," looking at Lysander, I said, "In private."

James looked at Lysander, "You heard her, scram!" he said, grinning at the boy like an idiot.

"Aye aye Captain!" Lysander said, saluting before backing away.

James and I shook our heads at the oddity before I turned to him.

"OK, long story short; Hogsmeade trip this weekend. You know it, everyone knows it," he nodded, "_Everyone_ has a date to the trip. Even Albus and Lily do. _You_ and only one other person are dateless. And _she_ just happens to be female."

James stared in shock, "Even Lily? And Lorc the Dork?" I nodded.

"In fact, Lorcan is _my_ date," I grinned widely.

James eyes widened. "Didn't know you fancied him, eh Thorns?" he asked playfully.

"No, I pitied the poor boy since Lysander had a date and he didn't, so I offered to be his. Plus it solves the problem of me being dateless. Two birds, one stone."

James groaned. "So who is it? And please tell me we're not related…"

"Well you happen to be lucky, it's _Alice_." Smirking I watched as his face turned bright red with an inescapable Weasley blush. Good to know his mom's genes are in there somewhere.

"Er, and what gives you the impression she'd want to go with me? And vice versa…"

"James. OK, fess up. EVERYONE knows you like her. And judging from the way she looks at you, she reciprocates those feelings. Just _ask her out!_ …or…"

"Or what?" he cut in quickly.

"We-ell…I've already managed to set Frank and Roxanne up. I _could _do the same for you. But you're a closer cousin than Roxanne. So I'll require a fee." I smirked.

"What Rose?" he said glumly.

"I require new quills. On Saturday you will buy me whatever ones I want, OK?" I said, knowing how much he hated Scrivenshaft's Quill Shop. He groaned again.

"Fine. But only if she says yes…"

"Oh, don't worry, she will." My eyes glittered with mirth as I left him to return to Lysander.

Three down, one to go. This shouldn't be too hard. Alice was a pushover sometimes. Especially when it came to James.

Turning, I ran to the Great Hall, knowing for a fact she had a free period as well, as she didn't get a high enough mark in Potions to take the NEWT level class. Good thing she wanted to work for Auntie Luna and the Quibbler.

Sure enough, Alice sat playing a game of Wizard's Chess with a sixth year at the Gryffindor table.

Sitting besides her, I watched impressed as her Queen moved to E5, and she stated clearly, "Check mate."

The little King took his crown off and laid it on the board, defeated.

"Aw man!" cried the sixth year.

"Better luck next time Clearwater. Maybe you should practise some more," she grinned as he got up and left. "Oh, hi Rose!"

"Hey Alice! Look, I did something awesome, and you're going to love me for it!"

She looked wary, but waited for me to continue nonetheless.

"I got you a date with James this Saturday!"

Alice was in shock, that was clear. Her eyes were the size of dinner plates and her jaw had dropped a good few inches.

"No way…" she said quietly. "How'd you do that?"

"Just told him everyone knows he fancies you, and you were the only two without dates," I grinned, knowing what was coming.

"He fancies me? How can you be sure?" she asked timidly.

"Cause of the way he looks at you. And how he talks about you nonstop when you're not around. And he's always 'Alice this' and 'Alice that'. It's cute really. Although Albus finds it quite annoying now…"

Alice's face was practically beaming.

"And you won't be alone, so no need to be nervous. I mean we'll all be there. Well, me and Hugo got to leave around three, but other than that, we'll all be there!"

She grinned, and nodded.

"Good, I'll tell James the good news! See you Alice!"

I ran off, knowing full well class started in ten minutes, and I had Potions first.

xxxx

Running to the Gryffindor table at lunch, I was glad to see only the twins, Fred, Albus, Lily, Molly and Lucy were there.

"Guuuys! Guess what?" I said, sitting down rather clumsily, but I ignored that fact.

No one turned their heads. I huffed. This was going to be hard, they were focused on whatever it was they were talking about.

"Guuuuuys!?" I questioned. Hoping to get someone's attention. "You'll never guess what I did!" I said, referring to my totally awesome matchmaking skills.

"Albuuuus! They won't listen! They're all meanies..." I huffed.

"What is it this time Rose?" he asked, seemingly annoyed.

"See, even you didn't listen..." I pouted. I hated being ignored. "You're such a twat!"

"Well at least I'm not a sissy like you!" he said, sticking his tongue out childishly.

"You bumble...at least I have a reason...I AM a girl," I rolled my eyes.

"Will you two SHUT UP!" Lily boomed.

Albus and I stared at her wide eyed, "No!" we replied in unison. Heh.

"Now that I have two people's attention, guess what I did?" I said in a sing-song voice.

"What did you do now Rose?" Albus asked, as if I'd done something wrong.

I grinned ear to ear. "Why I managed to set up not only James and Alice on a date, but Roxanne and Frank, too."

This seemed to get everyone's attention.

"Seriously?" Fred asked incredulously.

"Yes silly. Now that we all have dates for Saturday, we can all be happy." Lorcan's face dropped then and I looked at him curiously, but all he did was mouth _After_ to me.

I managed to eat a fair bit of lunch (What? I was hungry!) before up and dragging Lorcan out of the Great Hall, demanding an explanation for his non-happy manor.

"Er well. You see. I didn't think you'd mind, since it's obvious you don't fancy me and all, and well I've kind of liked her for a while, and she asked me and…"

I held my hand up to shut him up. "Say no more lover boy, I understand. I don't care, go ahead! Who is it anyways?"

"Bella Greengrass…" he said quietly.

"Oh, Scorpius' cousin right? She's nice, hope you have fun!" I said, before stalking off.

OK, so what if I lied. Of course I cared. Now I was the only one in our group going alone. I pouted.

"What's wrong? Dumped again Weasley?" I heard a sneer from the other side of the hallway. Great, could the earth just swallow me up whole please?

"For your information, we hadn't even been dating. He was just my escort. And nothing's wrong…" I glared. I hated when he poked into my personal life like this.

Geez, Scorpius and I really had an up-and-down relationship going on. Wait. Relationship? More like acquaintance-ship. That's better. One minute we could be eating at each other's throats. Next we could be simple. I'll file this conversation under the former title.

"Nothing, eh? That why you look like your puppy just died?" he leered.

"No. I just don't like thinking I'm going to be the only one alone, that's all," I sighed. This was going no where, and fast.

"Haha lonely loser Weasley."

I had my wand out in seconds, as did he, ready to protect himself.

"For your information _Malfoy_, I am not _lonely_, nor am I a loser. It just means now I'm free to do what I want on Saturday."

"Oh like shoving your nose in another book? You know, for being so smart, you can be such a dumbass sometimes," he smirked.

I was fuming, but I would not let my temper get to me. "Malfoy, sod off." I said through gritted teeth. "I'm not a dumbass, I know how to have fun. So what if that means reading?"

"Because that makes you all alone. No one could like you anyways. You're thorns keep them away. And why be friends with you anyways. Bet you've only got friends cause you're related to James and Albus. The famous Potter boys, heh."

I felt tears spring to my eyes. That wasn't true. … was it? I swiped at my eyes furiously with my sleeve. "That's – that's not true…" I said quietly.

"See, even you know it is. Why else would you be crying mudblood?"

My spine stiffened. He had not just used the 'm-word' on me. Flicking my wand, I cast a quick _Levicorpus_ and watched as he flipped upside-down by his ankle.

"You ever say that about me again, I can do worse…" my teeth were chattering because of how upset I was.

"I know spells that would make even your skin crawl Weasley," he sneered again. "Like _Sectum_ – "

Malfoy would have continued, had it not been for Professor Longbottom arriving at that particular moment.

"What the devil is going on here? Rose, explain yourself!" he said, appalled.

"He – he…" I looked at him. Using the 'm-word' was a serious offence. I wasn't about to get him in THAT much trouble. "He made fun of me professor. My date for Hogsmeade decided to cancel on me. And he also insulted my intelligence…"

Malfoy was looking at me as if he dared me to go on. But I shut up.

"Ten points from Gryffindor Rose. You know better. And detention, Greenhouses, Friday at eight in the evening. You as well Mr. Malfoy," he said, before stalking off after making sure Rose had returned Scorpius to the ground.

"You could have told him Weasley. Surprised you never, considering how much trouble I could get in…"

"I don't stoop that low," she said, before letting one of her pent up tears fall and tearing off for Gryffindor Tower.

xxxx

That night I cried myself to sleep. I had only been called a mudblood once before. And it was on the train in first year. However it was Malfoy himself who had come to her rescue, saying 'No one deserves to be looked at by their blood-status' before bumbling off.

Dominique being in my room, tried to get me to tell her what happened, but I simply shrugged her off before closing the curtains around my four-poster. I _really_ did not want anyone in my family to know what Scorpius had said, they would rip his head off.

Grabbing a book off my nightstand, I curled into bed and began to read. Smiling at the book I had chosen, I realized I would need my Ancient Runes book, just in case.

Her mother had given her the copy of the _Tales of Beedle the Bard _when she had come to Hogwarts, telling her the story about how it helped them defeat Voldemort thanks to Professor Dumbledore and Xenophilius Lovegood.

It took me until well into the night to even translate the fourth story, but I was glad I had. The first three I had already completed, but I'd never gotten around to finishing it. The tale of _Babbity Rabbity and her Cackling Stump_ sat before me, and I had to laugh. My parents had told me this story when I was younger. Mum of course, reading straight from the book, but dad telling me from memory. Needless to say, both stories of the King trying to obtain magic were completely different, yet both carried the same ideas.

Turning, I looked at the clock on the bedside table. Three? Yes time for bed.

I turned back over and pulled my duvet over my ears. It had gotten chilly. It took a while before I fell asleep, but I let myself fall into a restless slumber and thinking of the words of Scorpius Malfoy.

xxxx

"Rose. You look like you were hit with a bludger. Go get a pepper-up potion or something."

I yawned. "Thanks Lily, but I'm fine. I just – I couldn't sleep." I glanced over to the Slytherin table, and sure enough, there was Malfoy himself, sneering at me.

"What did he do this time Rose?" Lily asked, following my gaze. I told her. Even the 'm-word' part. Lily wouldn't tell anyone. I trusted her.

"Bastard. Don't worry Rose, we'll get him back," Lily said through gritted teeth when Rose had finished.

"No Lily, I just want to pretend it never happened." Rubbing my eyes, I ate some toast.

"Hey Lily, Haggard." Albus plopped beside us. I glared at him.

"Leave her alone Al," Lily snapped. Albus looked at her curiously, but shrugged it off.

"Anyways, Rose they're holding Quidditch try-outs next week. Not sure why, we all know who's going to make the team. Same as always," he smirked.

I glared, "You know Albus, maybe it's time we gave others a chance. I mean our whole damn team is practically family."

Albus looked at me like I was bonkers, "And what's wrong with _that_?"

"Ever think their might be people better? Have you ever seen Alice on a broom? She's wicked fast…bet she'd make a great chaser! Or Carl Blackwood in fifth year? Ever see him practising his beater skills? He can aim better than anyone I'd ever seen!"

I know I was overreacting, but Albus had hit a nerve this morning.

"Fine fine, but I still say it will be the same!"

"I'm encouraging everyone I can to try out this year. No unfair family business. And I'm making sure someone _un-biased_ helps James. Perhaps a Professor."

I could hear James groan as he came up behind me. "Sadly I have to agree with her bro, she has a point. You helped me last year, and it was very biased."

I grinned. Sometimes I loved James. "Oi, James. By the way, Alice said yes."

His grin matched mine, and was even bigger if possible. "I'll be looking forward to my new quills." His grin seemed to falter slightly. Heh.

xxxx

The rest of the week passed without almost any hitches. I ran into Scorpius only twice since the incident, but I would turn and walk back the way I came. I would not be near him alone, except when it came to our detention tonight. I refused to.

Professor Longbottom was going to have us re-pot all the Screechsnap plants for the fifth-years. As well as pruning the Flutterby bushes. It was simple really, but would take a long time to do. They probably wouldn't finish until well after curfew.

Grabbing my dragon-hide gloves and anything else I would need for detention, I hugged my robe tighter around my body and made my way out to Greenhouse Four.

Scorpius had yet to arrive, so Professor Longbottom set me up with the Flutterby bush first, handing me a pair of pruning shears. Luckily the bushes were still young, and there weren't many of them. Perhaps it wouldn't take as long as she thought.

Just as she began pruning the first bush, Scorpius waltzed in, with an apology for being late to the Professor, saying he had been held up by Professor Flitwick. Professor Longbottom nodded, and pointed him over to me, giving him some pruning shears as well. Scorpius seemed reluctant, but made his way over nonetheless.

"Hello Weasley," he said.

"Malfoy," was all I responded with.

"I noticed you've been avoiding me. My words hurt you then?"

"No," I snapped. "I just can't stand seeing your revolting face anymore.

Snipping at the leaves, I continued my pruning in silence. He started his work, grabbing a second pot and beginning to prune.

We got through every Flutterby bush in the same manor. It was nearing nine thirty, and we had yet to begin on the Screechsnap.

Luckily I remembered from the year before that the pot must be perfectly filled three quarters with dragon manure, otherwise they would wriggle and screech loudly.

Measuring out the amount of soil, she placed it into the pot before grasping the plant near its roots and hauling it out of its original pot. It seemed to wriggle for a moment before going still. Instinctively, she quickly placed it into the second pot, and covered its roots with the manure. It sighed contently before becoming still.

Malfoy was gawking at me. "How'd you do that? When we re-potted these last year, mine screeched like a banshee!"

"It's all about patience and the right amount of manure. Three quarters of the pot," I replied in a bored tone.

He tried to copy my manner, but the plant wailed until I had successfully covered it in the right amount of soil Malfoy stared at me with what appeared to be awe.

"I always hated Herbology," he said. I grinned.

Looks like we were doing OK, for now. But I was not letting him off that easily.

It was well after eleven before we finished, and Professor Longbottom came to check our work.

"Well done, well done!" he said, eyeing the plants. "Now I trust you two to get back to your dorms without killing each other. The Professors on duty know you had detention, so no need to avoid them. Off you go!" he said, waving good bye.

Pulling off the dragon hide gloves, I shoved them in my rucksack. Malfoy did the same, and we left.

The air was cold, so I wrapped myself up tighter. Suddenly something green was shoved in my face. A scarf.

"Here, it's cold. And if I remember correctly, you look good in green," he winked.

I blushed before wrapping it tightly around my neck. It was warm, so I assumed there was a warming charm on it. I sighed, happy to have some warmth.

"Look, Malfoy – "

"Look Weasley – "

We looked at each other before snickering. I told him to go first.

"I'm sorry," he said. "I shouldn't have called you a m- … well you know what I called you. It was very rude of me. And I had no right to call you it anyways, I mean you come from Weasley's too, that's pureblood there. It's just I was not having a good day, and you were the first person I saw, and I lashed out…"

"Malfoy, it's OK. I know you didn't mean it. Remember first year? What you said on the train? I knew you still believed in that. It just hurt a little…" I said, swiping another tear from my eye. I was _not_ going to cry now.

"Is there any way I can make it up to you? Honeydukes? Saturday? Me and you? I'll buy you whatever you want…" he goaded.

Grinning, I nodded, "Sounds good to me."

We departed ways then, him heading down the stairs to the Dungeons, and me making my way up to the seventh floor.

* * *

**A/N:** So how many did you count? It's less than ten, I'll tell you that!

I don't like writing fighting scenes, but I think mine turned out good...next chappie will be the Hogsmeade trip of course, so we'll see mommy Hermione :D

Anyways, that's all I got to say, so here's a little exerpt:

_"They tortured you?" I asked incredulously. I couldn't believe it. I was positively fuming._

_"Yes Rose, but the past is the past, and that's no reason to get angry. You can hardly even blame the Malfoy's, just because it was there house. They did no harm to me. Only Bellatrix Lestrange did. And if anything, Scorpius' grandmother _saved_ Harry. She told Voldemort he was dead. She _lied_ to Lord Voldemort to protect him and her son. Sure Lucius and Draco did a lot of nasty things, but what Narcissa did made up for it all. Draco couldn't even kill Dumbledore in the end. Not because he was a coward, but because he knew it was _wrong_. Please don't judge Scorpius because of this..."_

_I looked at my mum, she had a point. He didn't blame me for anything in the past, and I had no right to do so in return._

_"Mum...I just don't understand him. One minute he can be one of the nicest people I know. And the next, he's calling me a ... a mudblood. But he told me after he didn't mean it. But why would he even bother in the first place? I just don't understand..."_

_Hermione sighed. Her daughter was experiencing similar things to what she had in school, and she was proud to see her growing up._

_"Rose dear, you'll find out soon enough. You know your father and I. He used to make fun of S.P.E.W. so much, it hurt almost as much as being called a mudblood sometimes. But he was doing it to _get my attention_," Hermione smiled, hoping Rose would catch on._

_"There is NO WAY Malfoy likes me mum, trust me. Told me so himself in fifth year ... never could think of me as more than a friend, and we're barely even friends!" I groaned. She couldn't be right, could she?_

Who knows? Moms can be right sometimes...Or not... :D

Keep checking back for chapter 5!


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